sperry



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. A. SPERRY.

AMALGAMATOR,

. Patented Oct. 11, 1887.

///////fil N. PETERS. Phntn-umogmplwr. Wzuungton, m;

4 M l.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. A. SPERRY.

AMALGAMATOR. No. 371,523. Patented 001;. 11,1887.

N. PETERS. 'mwmma w. Washington, ac.

UNITED STATES PATENT Erica,

J AMES A. SPERRY, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TOO. AMOBY STEVENS, OF\VOODSBURG, AND FRANK SPERRY, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

AMALGAMATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,523, dated October1], 1887.

Application filed November 18, 1886. Serial No. 210,271. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Janus A. SPERRY, of Brooklyn, county of Kings, andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinAmalgamators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention has relation to that class of devices or apparatus employedfor extracting gold and silver from their ores by amalgamation, andcommonly known as amalgamators or amalganiating apparatus; and theobject ofmy said invention is to produce a simple, cheap, and effectiveapparatus wherein all the material to be operated upon is brought intocontact with the mercury in a forcible, uniform, and thorough manner,wherein the mercury or quicksilver may be prevented by application ofelectricity from flowing, sickening, breaking, or otherwisedeteriorating or losing its quickness, wherein no mechanically-movingparts of the apparatus are employed to effect the contact of ore andmercury or to effect the passage of the ore through the amalgamator, andwhich apparatus may be easily and cheaply operated in connection withall grades of ores, which is not liable to get out of order, and whichwill secure the thorough extraction of precious metals and insure otheradvan tages, as will hereinafter appear.

To accomplish all of this my improvements involve certain new and usefulpeculiarities of construction, relative arrangements or combinations ofparts, and principles of operation, as will be herein first fullydescribed, and then pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, Figurelis an elevation, and Fig. 2 a vertical section,of an apparatus,including a number of trays, arranged for operation in accordance withmy invention and involving the principles thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan ofone of the trays detached, and Fig. 4 a vertical sectional view thereof.Fig. 5 is a plan View of one of the perforated carbon plates detachedfrom its tray.

In all the figures like letters of reference,

wherever they occur, indicate corresponding parts.

A is a tray, of metal, wood, or any suitable material and of any desiredsize, and through the bottom of this are inserted a series of tubes, asa a, of any desired dimensions. I find that for one ton of ore per houra tray fourteen inches square, having forty-nine dischargetubes, eachwith an eighth inch orifice, answers very well; but I do not limitmyself to any dimensions or to any number of discharge tubes. The trayis of suitable depth and formed with projecting side flanges, as b b, tofacilitate mounting and moving it when necessary.

The tubes aa extend above the bottom of the tray and through and a shortdistance below the bottom and serve to discharge the water and pulp fromthe tray. The objectin having them extend above the bottom is to form areceptacle for a body of mercury, and they extend below the bottom,sothat they will deliver solid or unbroken streams and prevent v drippingfrom the bottom except at the point of delivery from the tubes. The trayso constituted may be used singly, if desired. The water and ore or pulpbeing delivered upon the top of the mercury flows thereon or in contacttherewith, and passes out through the series of discharge-tubes to anyreceptacle below the streams, in no way interfering with each other; butI prefer to employ the trays in a series, one above the other, so thatthe material discharged from one tray will enter the next one below andbe also brought in contact with the mercury therein. This series mayconsist of two or any desired number.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown the apparatus as containing six trays,which will generally be found amply sufficient, though more may be used,if desired. \Vhen the trays are arranged in vertical series, thedischarge-tubes of one tray are so located or disposed that they willnot be in line with those of the tray above or of the tray below, and,preferably, as indicated, about over the middle of the space between thetubes in the next tray. The material discharged from one tray cannotthen pass through the tubes of the next without coming I find that afall of from three to seven inches will insure the desired result,though a greater or less distance may be perfectly practicable.

In each tray the mercury rests upon a copper or equivalent plate, as B,and in each tray and at a distance above the mercury is a carbon orequivalent plate, 0, sustained as upon rubber or equivalent standards ac, and made slightly smaller than the interior of the tray, so thatthere will be no metallic connection between B and 0. Any other means ofinsulating these two plates may be adopted. The plate 0 islocated atsuch a distance above the mercury that it will admit of the free passageof the water and pulp between the two, the water and pulp just touchingthe under side of this plate on its way to the discharge-tubes. Eachplate 0 is perforated, as at d d, and these perforations are arranged sothat they will lie in line with the dischargetubes of the tray above, orover the spaces between the discharge-tubes of the tray in which theplate is located, and the perforations are large enough to permit thefall of the material through them without interference by striking theplate.

The insulated carbon plate is to be connected with the anode or positivepole of a battery or electric machine or source of electricity, and theplate under the mercury with the cathode or negative pole. Thus thecarbon is positively electrified and the mercury negatively, and thewater, pulp, and chemicals serve as the electrolyte through which thecurrent passes downwardly to the mercury.

The electric connections are made in any suitable way. When the traysare mounted in-series, it will probably be found most advantageous toconnect the carbon plates with one conductor, as D, and the copperplates with another conductor, as E, these two conductors running to thebattery or machine. For the convenient connections I supply the movablesections, as e e and f f.

The lowermost tray of the series has an inclined bottom, from which apipe, F, leads off to one side, its discharge-orifice being located on alevel with the top of the mercury in this tray when the apparatus isbeing used, The mercury may be drawn off from the lower tray by turningthe mouth of this pipe downwardly, aslwill be readily understood.

v The series may be charged with mercury by turning it in at the top. Aseach trayis filled ,to the tops of the tubes therein, mercury descendsto the next tray below, and so on until discharge takes place at themouth of F, when the supply should be arrested. Thus the trays may bequickly and properly charged.

G is an ordinary hopper having a grating, g, through which the pulp ormaterial is originally delivered to the apparatus. It may or may not beused.

H represents any suitable receptacle or conduit for the tailings orproducts delivered from the apparatus.

I I are suitable uprights, and KK horizontal pieces formingaconvenientframe-work for sustaining the series. ployed upon the trays,may rest upon strips h h, which are secured to the frame-work. Theamalgamated material and mercury may be drawn from the trays throughsuitable perforations in the bosses z 'i. The body of mercury isrepresented at at.

The flanges b b, if empreserves the quickness and prevents flowering orfouling of the mercury by sulphur, ar-

senic, 850., and may aid in the amalgamating process by producing adecomposition ofwater evolving hydrogen gas, or, in the presence ofchloride of sodium in the electrolyte, may by the decomposition of thissalt produce chlorine gas and sodium, also aiding in amalgamation.

The apparatus above described is intended especially to effect theamalgamation of rebellious ores. It is very-simple in all its parts, hasno mechanically-moving parts to get out of order, or subject to wear,requires noparticular attention or special power to operate it, and iswell calculated to answer the purpose or object of the invention, aspreviously time making the pulp operate as an electrolyte through whichthe electric current passes from the carbon plate into and through themercury and to the copperplate below it. In previous forms ofamalgamators wherein electricity has been employed either the uppersurface of the mercury has not been left free for contact of the pulptherewith or some mechanical means have been employed for agitating thepulp and mercury. Over these former constructions my improved device hasthe advantages of simplicity and certainty of action as well as thesaving of power required for its operation.

I am also aware that a movable or adjustable discharging-tube has beenemployed in conhas not, to my knowledge, been employed in lated carbonplate located at a distance above connection with a series of traysarranged to the mercury and having its perforations in be filled fromthe top. line with the discharge-tubes of thetray above, I 5

' Having now fully described my invention and electric connections,substantially as and 5 what I claim as new, and desire to secure by forthe purposes set forth. r Letters Patent, is In testimony that I claimthe foregoing I In an amalgamator, two or more trays arhave hereunto setmy hand in the presence of ranged one above the other, each having a se-I two witnesses. ries of discharge-tubes passing through its bot- 10 tomand maintainingabody of mercury in the lower part of the tray, a copperplate located beneath the mercury, a perforated and insu- JAMES A.SPERRY. Witnesses:

JOHN BUOKLER,

WORTH Osooon.

